24/7 Chat About Anything

[maki2]

The generator I  have setup for high altitude is a Honda EU i1000. It rides on the floor in front of my passennger seat. I do siphon the gas out for travel time. There is no smell of gas in my car when traveling.

 

[travelaround]

@Maki - thanks - Just looked up your generator... I will talk to my electrician about that. I'm thinking of getting one... not so sure yet if I will. That would come after everything else on my van build.

 

[user 30781]

If you (anyone) had gotten a mattress for your van, and it was too hard, would you top it with a 3" high density foam in medium or a 4" super soft foam?

I wish I could find the same topper I got for my bed about 10 years ago from Walmart. It's 2" of high density and 1" of memory foam on top of that and it's SO comfortable! It was relatively cheap too.

edit: holy crap I just looked up that Milliard mattress to see what the foam density is (3#) and it's gone up $50 since I got mine. :O

I think the 3" high density foam might be ok, it's 1.8#

 

[maki2]

@Maki - thanks - Just looked up your generator... I will talk to my electrician about that. I'm thinking of getting one... not so sure yet if I will. That would come after everything else on my van build.

There are other decent small generators that are reliable and more affordable. I got mine used which is why I was able to buy a Honda. I did have to put a new carburator in it to get it to run properly. I also had to purchase a special jet to put in the carburetor so that it could actually run at high altitudes such as at Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.  Generators can be a real pain in the rear to keep them running properly. I would not want one if I did not have my Etsy business where I need to have redundancy of power for days when there is not enough solar or times when I want to put in a lot of hours of work with various tools or power hungry equipmment.

Maybe someday I will have the funds for a good sized lithium battery set and bigger panel on my trailer as well as a second matching solar panel on my car. But for now a generator is a much more affordable option to meet my power needs. If you can get by without do so. The shop hourly rates to work on them are about the same as an automotive repair shop, meaning not affordable and they have a minimum charge.

This morning I had enough solar and battery capacity to fire up my printer for going online to my Etsy store and buying postage with tracking info and the addresses on the labels. Fortunately I do not need the generator daily. At 1,000 watts peak, 900 watts max for constant load is too small to run a microwwave, induction cooktop, Instapot etc. I can run a 750 watt electric heater if needed but notat high elevations. The higher you go the less power it puts out and the more fuel it consumes.

Know what you are getting into before you spend the money.

 

[nature lover]

I’ve just been comparing the reality with the budget for August. And I am going to be able to make it as long as I don’t drive anywhere or eat anything I’ve got enough to pay everything. You may be laughing but I’m not this is not a joke. But I wish it was. Just sharing it here makes it feel a little better. Well I did say I needed to lose weight walking and not eating will help. If only I could walk better.

 

[Camper]

NL.... If you need some extra funds to help get you through the next month (food) just send me a message.

 

[maki2]

Nature Lover I hope you can find a local food bank to help fill your cupboards.  Eggs are  just about the least expensive protein and they keep hunger down.

 

[maki2]

I see a lot of people in the introduction section who have problems with family not being supportive of their travel decisions. I fortunately did not experience that in my life, not for this nomadic change and not even when a young adult. I had already bought a small RV and was renovating it and had showed it to my son and his wife. When my songhot laid off and could not find work right away his wife said lets sell everything and get a travel trailer and live on the road. Of course I was supportive of that. I also encouraged him to start writing positive travel stories and reviews and sell them for extra income and he began to do that in addition to writing a blog. One of the companies he began writing for was Outdoorsy, a type of airbnb where people rent out their RVs. He has written quite a few articles for them.

So if you are in need of some positive travel inspiration and are siiting there stuck in your life, well then meet my son, he has some motivational advice for you regarding how to get unstuck and have a lot more fun. Or just read it if you are curious what my son looks like. There is even a photo of him climbing the walls of the Grand Canyon. Or I should I say just faking it
https://www.outdoorsy.com/blog/saying-yes-adventure

 

[bullfrog]

^^^Looks like he is having fun! Hope all goes well for him.

 

[maki2]

He did have fun the 3 years he spent traveling in their Airstream.

 

[travelaround]

Nice blog (your son, Maki) ... my son is not a writer - he just makes videos. Some of them make me cringe.. (because I worry about him being too adventurous.)

I just got home from Yreka/Grant's Pass...

Results . . .

Yreka DMV treated me kindly and gladly replaced the 666 license plates with something much better. Problem solved.

Grant's Pass Home Depot . . . . can you believe they had no 1/2" or 5/8" plywood? One man told me it is because pot farmers are buying it up......... I guess they can't restock fast enough? It was strange. I guess there must be a lot of pot farmers in Southern Oregon! Don't know why they need so much plywood!?!? The beadboard panels I planned to get were gone too - I did look for it on their website and thought they had a good supply but when I arrived - it was gone. So I was a little frustrated, but got some 2x6's and wool insulation. This means I'll be making yet another trip out to get lumber. Maybe next time I'll go to Redding............

 

[VanFan]

TA:  I am curious about how things are going for you BP-wise.  Mine has been up (in the 130's systolic) all week.  Of course that's nothing like it was before I starting making changes.  The culprit, I think, is lack of exercise.  Between the heat and my general laziness, physical activity has been nil.  Dietary changes have been pretty easy, but I struggle with making my choices more shelf stable and less bulky for travel.  COVID is on the rise in this area again, making ducking into stores for fresh ingredients less appealing.

 

[vanbrat]

Grant's Pass Home Depot . . . . can you believe they had no 1/2" or 5/8" plywood? One man told me it is because pot farmers are buying it up......... I guess they can't restock fast enough? It was strange. I guess there must be a lot of pot farmers in Southern Oregon! Don't know why they need so much plywood!?!? The beadboard panels I planned to get were gone too  - I did look for it on their website and thought they had a good supply but when I arrived - it was gone. So I was a little frustrated, but got some 2x6's and wool insulation. This means I'll be making yet another trip out to get lumber. Maybe next time I'll go to Redding............

We have the same problem sometimes so now hubby orders it from home depot on line and gets it delivered. You maybe able to order on line for store pick up

 

[abnorm]

^^^What are the 2x6's for ???

 

[travelaround]

@VanFan - my blood pressure is *down in the 130's... I've rarely had it lower. This morning: 132/78 which is much better than what I was seeing last week. Thanks for your help on that.

@vanbrat - I will order online for store pickup before I try this again. I might go tomorrow if the rain stops, or Thursday. Or next week?

@abnorm - they plan to cut some of the 2x6's into strips to mount the beadboard panels I want in there... like furring strips. Also they may use some to build the bed, and I need a base for the sink cabinet. The rest will probably go to other projects they're doing in this town. They're working on at least two other trailers right now.

 

[maki2]

There are two Home Depots in Flagstaff. Their stock inventory of plywood panels out on the floor is different.  I like the selection at the store on the East end of town better than the selection at the West end.  Fortunately there are also several other lumber yards and harware stores in town. I will need to go back to Flagstaff for wood for the sides of the caninet drawers I have yet to get started making. Where I am currently camped the nearest hardware store is a 25 mile drive and the lumber they stock is only suitable for building farm yard projects.

 

[Gypsy108]

I need new tires for my car (All Terrain)
I need to get a Jackery
I need to get  a few other things too
I won't be ready to leave next week....Hopefully by October....

Is it hard to buy a season pass after it starts in Sept ?   (For camping at Quartzite)

 

[maki2]

[quote pid='545390' dateline='1627413862']

Is it hard to buy a season pass after it starts in Sept ?   (For camping at Quartzite)
[/quote]
No, you can buy a season pass anytime in the season. Last fall I did not arrive there until mid November. Others I met did not arrive until January. But there is no discount given on the season pass price if you come later so do not expect one.

 

[user 30781]

So next month is the beginning of my Medicare sign up period. IT'S SO CONFUSING. Medicare A-Z (just about), Medigap, Medicare Advantage.

My doc told me last time I saw her that the clinics Patient Services can help. I called them today and they have a guy comes in on Thursdays from Washington Healthplan Finder who is their Medicare expert. Guess I'll wander in and talk to him.

 

[maki2]

Very high humidity day here by the Grand Canyon. Not super hot, just in the in the very low 80s, and not raining but still wiping the sweat off my face and hands.

I did not feel like doing sightseeing. Did not feel like working on my build either. But I also did not want to just laze around and do nothing. So I am listening to an audio book and packaging up the kits I cut day before yesterday.

Not sure what I will do tomorrow other than likely a trip to the park or town to shiop an order out. Maybe I will take a laptop along to use on wifi at a cafe so I can do updates on the software for the browsers and security. I have VPN protection on my devices so I can take advantage of public wifi for lengthy downloads like OS updates. The Starbucks in Tuyasan has a 110v outlet by one of the tables on the patio. Maybe I will get lucky and get to sit close to it.